As the World Keeps Turning
by anaer
Summary: Sora wasn't sure which was worse: the fact that he had a creepy, psycho blonde stalker out to kill him, or the fact that his so-called guardian had sex with said stalker on a semi-regular basis. And Riku just doesn't understand! Cleon; Soriku
1. Chapter 1

Adrian: So, I'm bringing you all another story. Another multi-chaptered one that I'll hopefully remember to update on a regular basis…Although, I have always been good about that when it comes to Kingdom Hearts fanfiction. Don't ask me what inspired this, though the title and the continued premise (that what's important to Sora is not necessarily important to everyone else) comes from something one of my professors said when we were discussing a poem, as well as the painting, _Landscape with the Fall of Icarus. _So I ran with that and added it in. Basically, this is practice in description and an attempt to improve my (relatively poor) writing skills.

I also wasn't sure whether to file this as "Cloud S. & Leon/Squall L." or "Sora & Riku". Ultimately, I decided to go the Cloud/Squall route because while the POV and main character may be Sora, it's ultimately about Cloud and Squall and the horrible influence they have on his life.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own. I don't care.

Original Summary (the sentence that started the plot): Sometimes, like now, Sora was absolutely certain of one thing: he hated his life.

As the World Keeps Turning

_Chapter 1_

"You know, Sora, sometimes I just don't understand you at all." Riku said this with utter conviction, leaning over the edge of the bed he was sprawled out on in order to see the boy he was talking to.

Said boy huffed, crossing his arms and slouching lower in his seat as he ignored his best friend. Riku told him that enough on a daily basis that Sora had pretty much just learned to tune those amused comments out and focus only on what he wanted to hear.

"I mean, really," the silver-haired teen continued, blithely ignoring the younger boy ignoring him, "What have you got to be upset about? You're the keyblade master, you have the most kickass best friend in history (me, by the way), the coolest big brother figure/guardian anyone could ask for (even if he does tend to stay a little on the constipated side), and you've even shared a paopu fruit with the most popular kid in school (once again, me). I mean, yeah, you may have issues with that whole 'evil twin' cliché you've got going on with Roxas, and you may also have an insanely badass, slightly creepy, slightly crazy mercenary on your tail all the time—not to mention living with you—but compared to, say, Vincent? You've got it easy."

Sora frowned, sliding farther down into the dark blue beanbag chair he sat on. The two boys sat in Sora's bedroom, participating in their weekly bonding ritual. Mainly it consisted of Riku griping at Sora, and Sora griping back at Riku twice as much once he'd pondered things over and come up with a suitable response. The whining sessions (as Leon tended to call them) had, in all actuality, been a monthly occurrence until the crap in Sora's life had hit the fan last year, prompting an immediate need for more "get it off my chest" time. The problem, however, was that no matter how many times the younger boy had tried to explain himself, Riku just didn't seem to get it. He didn't understand how Sora's life had plummeted from Mt. Olympus to Hades himself's chambers, simply because of one person appearing in his life. One person who, under any other circumstances, was a pretty decent guy (decent possibly being too nice a word), but in the glassy perfection that had been Sora's world was like a bullet that had caused the whole thing to shatter.

No matter what, Riku had never understood (and probably _would_ never understand) that it had all started with Squall Leonhart (even though really it had all started with Cloud Strife).

**(9 Months Ago)**

Aerith Gainsborough was a beautiful, kind-hearted, amazing, upbeat woman. She went around to everyone she met, spreading joy and happiness through the bright pink bow she always wore in her hair and the flowers that were never far from her hand. A gentle smile was permanently etched onto her face, and everyone she met could instantly tell the type of person she was. She was also, luckily enough, Sora's mother. That's why, when Sora bustled in from school and smelt the wonderful fragrance of his favourite type of brownies (double chocolate chunk) fresh from the over, he didn't think anything of it. He figured it was just Aerith being Aerith and satisfying her innate need for baked goods and cuteness and making her son happy in every way possible. It was when he stumbled into the kitchen, half-high from the wonderful smell, and saw her standing there with a serious expression on her face (and, more importantly, no smile) that he realized something was wrong.

"Zack!" the woman called softly to her husband upon seeing him. "Sora's home."

"Umm…is everything all right, mom?" he hazarded.

"Everything's perfect!" she replied dandily, still no sign of a smile gracing her perfectly soft face.

Sora frowned and scratched his head. Opening his mouth to continue, the fifteen-year-old was cut off by his father, Zackary Fair, fumbling his way into the kitchen through the door from the living room. The spiky-headed, black-haired man grinned widely upon seeing his son—somewhat reassuring the boy that he wasn't in trouble—before casually leaning back against the kitchen counter.

"Sora, sit down," Aerith ordered (gently, of course—the same way she did everything else) as she placed a plate of brownies on the table. "You're father and I have something to tell you."

Darting his head back and forth to take in both of them, the brown-haired boy blurted out the first thing that came to his mind as to why his mother could look so serious.

"Are you two getting a divorce?" It's not like it would be that strange. Almost all of his friend's had had to deal with that. Why, just last week his friend Namine's older sister, Larxene, had finalized her divorce from her pink-haired, flower-obsessed husband, Marluxia. However, the scandalized look that crossed both his parent's face from the suggestion was answer enough.

"What?" Zack cried in outrage, slamming his fist against the counter (and there was a distinct crack left behind when the hand was removed). "A divorce? Where the hell would you get an idea like that? No, we're not getting divorced!"

"Oh. Sorry, just a guess."

Aerith sighed softly, wiping her hand on the dishtowel she carried tucked in her pink apron. "Sora…Zack and I…well…we have a confession. We're not your real parents."

"So I'm adopted? Sweet! Riku's adopted, too!" And…that definitely didn't play over the way both parents were expecting, Sora could tell. But, hey, anyway that he was more like Riku was a-okay in his book for sure. Riku was, like…the epitome of coolness. He just oozed awesome from every deep-cleansed pore; every perfectly conditioned strand of silver hair; every clear polished, well-manicured nail. Not to mention that the older boy, despite displaying some slightly metro-sexual tendencies, could still wipe the floor with Sora every time they mock-dueled.

"Um…no, Sora, you're not exactly adopted the same way Riku is," Zack took over, completely ruining all of his (not) son's fantasies. "We're actually just…temporary guardians. Like foster parents, kind of. Except a lot better at fighting. See, we know you know you're THE keyblade master. Like, not just _A_ keyblade master, THE keyblade master, since you summon Kingdom Key and all, and it really has to do with that. When you were little, the King gave you to us to take care of and raise in the relative safety of a pretty normal life, with Aerith here using all her power to keep you shielded from the darkness all the time. Are you getting this so far?"

Sora nodded. In all honesty, it wasn't too much to take in. After all, Riku wielded a Dark Keyblade. Anything was possible after that one!

"Um, yeah," Zack continued a little nervously, "So, basically, at the head of the darkness, there's this evil organization—they call themselves Organization XIII—and somehow they've figured out who and where you are. So you're mother and I are moving out by the end of the week because the King feels like you'll be better protected with someone more…_capable_…than us because I've been out of practice for so long and the Organization has pretty much hired the best of the best to kidnap and/or kill you, whichever's easiest. So you're getting a new legal guardian who's going to teach you the ins and outs of, well, everything you need to know to survive." And that was all said in one long, nervous breath.

Sora blinked. "So, um…my new guardian. Is it anyone I know?"

"Uh…not specifically, no," his father replied.

The Keyblade Master's brow furrowed. "What do you mean by 'not specifically'?"

Aerith finally smiled, and a burden on the boy's heart was lifted that he hadn't even realized was there. "Sora…you remember how we always used to talk about cousin Squall, right? Well, let's just say he's not actually your cousin, and he's _very_ good at what he does. Which is something not entirely pleasant."

Sora grinned. Riku was going to be _so_ jealous!

Little did the teen know that meeting Squall Leonhart was going to be the beginning…well, not of the end, but certainly the demise of the young man's optimistic outlook on life. No one really blamed him, though, because as he later realized, it was practically impossible to keep a cheerful outlook on life with such a mood killer living in the same house as you.

Sora began to realize this—though he didn't recognize that fact until many months after—two days later, at that first, fateful meeting.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Today's the day!" Sora babbled excitedly, all but running through the crowded hallways in his rush to get home. As soon as the final bell had rang, he'd shot out of the classroom without even a second's hesitation.

"Calm down, Sora!" Riku called after him. The older boy, being larger, was having a hard time keeping up as he kept bumping into people. "And slow down already!" he huffed, grabbing his friend's arm right as they made it through the school doors.

"I'm sorry, I'm just—excited! I mean, I'll miss my not-parents and all, but this is going to be so cool!" The brunette was happily slaying heartless in his mind, he was so excited.

"Not to burst your bubble or anything, but you don't even know the guy! He could be, like, the worst thing to ever happen—whoa, who is _that_?" Riku cut himself off. Sora followed his friend's stare down to the parking lot where a blonde man (one much too old for high school) sat against the absolute coolest bike either teen had ever seen in their relatively short lives.

"I don't know, I've never seen him before. I'm pretty sure I would remember him, too, no one on Destiny Islands wears that much black. He must be new in town."

"Yeah, that'd explain the sword," Riku added, glaring as one of the other students bustling by bumped into him. A smile was back on his face when he turned once more to face his friend. "No one just walks around with their weapons in the open like that around here."

"Hey, we should go talk to him," Sora suggested, and Riku realized at that moment that their path had moved in the man's direction.

"_No_, Sora! We don't talk to strange men dressed in all black with dangerous swords and cool motorcycles! That practically just screams out 'evil'!" The older, more reasonable boy tried to, well, reason with his younger friend, stepping into the other's path. "What would your paren—Zack and Aerith think?"

Sora sighed and looked off to the side forlornly. He knew exactly what Zack and Aerith would think. "Okay, fine, we won't talk to him. But can we at least just…walk by? Because that is hands down the absolute coolest vehicle I have ever seen in my entire fifteen years of living."

Riku frowned (partially in contemplation and partially because people just would not stop _knocking into him_!). "Well…I guess that'd be okay. C'mon."

As they approached the strange man and the bike, both felt themselves shudder. Neither could guarantee it, what with the dark shades on the stranger's face and all, but both felt like he was staring straight at them. They held their breath as they passed, trying to secretly ogle the machine as they went, but afraid they'd find the blonde still looking at them. As they made it all the way through, the two began to breathe in unison, sharing a secret grin, as they continued to walk away.

"Hey, kid!" the voice caused both of them to freeze up, and both boys slowly turned around to find electric blue eyes (were they _glowing_?) fixed intently on Sora.

"Um…yeah?" the brown-haired teen responded warily. Up close like this, the man seemed a little on the creepy side with the combination of the shockingly blue eyes and the ice cold look on his face.

"Are you Sora Gainsborough-Fair?" the man continued to stare fixedly at the fifteen-year-old's face.

"Um…why do you want to know something like that?" Sora asked, completely flabbergasted.

"No reason, really," the blonde replied, finally removing his eyes as he turned and straddled his bike. "I just happen to know your parents. Name's Cloud. You should tell them I stopped by."

"Okay?" he tried. Sora turned to Riku for support, except the silver-haired teen looked just as taken aback by the whole thing.

"I'll be seeing you around _very_ soon," Cloud concluded with a smirk that was downright evil. The black-clad man kicked up the stand, revved the engine, and then sped out of the school's parking lot, barely missing hitting the boys as he went.

"Woah," a new voice cut in, and Sora and Riku turned to find their friend Kairi approaching. "What was that about?"

"No idea," Sora said in reply, staring after the strange man.

"You coming to my party tonight?" the redheaded girl asked after a moment. And that was the thing about Kairi. The only thing ever on her mind was parties. It annoyed Riku sometimes (all the time), but Sora thought she was the most fun person at school, and so she had been submerged into their little group.

"I don't know if I'll be able to make it, but I'll definitely try!" Sora exclaimed. His eyes shone as bright as usual.

"Sorry, can't make it. I've got _important_ stuff to do tonight," Riku replied snootily. He and Kairi were locked in a staring contest, neither blinking, and Sora could feel the ninja stars being thrown back and forth through their eyes.

"So, anyway, guys!" the brown-haired boy interrupted cheerfully, a nervous laugh stuck in the back of his throat. "I, uh…have to go! Later!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Riku.

"Bye, Sora." Kairi.

Neither one even turned to look at him as he waved them goodbye. With a forlorn sigh, the boy turned and began the long trek home, always ready to summon his keyblade should heartless become a problem. Luckily enough, no heartless crossed his path that day.

Creepy blonde men with cool bikes stalking him, though? Yeah, that might be a problem.

"What does this guy _want_ with me?" the young Keyblade Master wheezed out, panting for breath. Gasping a couple more times, Sora straightened up to try and figure out where he'd ended up. It was a relatively small street he'd never seen before, with no discernable features around to help him even recognize where he might be, that the high schooler found himself after almost an hour of running nonstop from his pursuer. Now exhausted, though, and wheezing, not even the _vroom_ of the kick-ass bike in the distance could spur him back into action. Instead, the boy turned in the direction of his adversary and stood up straight. With a determined look on his face, he called forth Kingdom Key, feeling the magic tingle throughout his body as the blade began to form in his hand. The screeching of tires from behind caused him to jump and swing around, weapon at the ready to defend himself.

Instead of creepy blonde guy with super spiky hair and cool bike, though, Sora found a completely disinterested looking brunette in a (still cool) convertible, both hands on the hweel. The man's shaggy hair fell around his shoulders as he moved to shoot Sora a blank look, but the brown-haired teen had a hard time drawing his eyes away from the neat scar that practically split the driver's face in two.

"Get in the car," said driver demanded, causing Sora to snap back to attention as he realized he'd been staring.

"Huh…?"

"I said get in the car."

Raising his weapon, the teen glared at this stranger. "No way. What, do you think I'm stupid or something? You don't get into cars with strangers, that's just asking to be kidnapped!" And the roar of the bike was getting louder by the second.

"Look, Sora," the man began, rubbing his forehead in a way that made the boy suspect he had a headache, "Kingdom Key's a nice weapon and all, but if you really think you're going to be taking down either me _or_ him with it, you're more of an idiot that Zack made you out to be. Now get in the damn car."

Sora blinked, lowering his keyblade. "Squall…?" he asked tentatively, a quiet realization creeping up on him.

"I go by Leon." And that annoyed stare was really beginning to get to Sora, so he did what any sensible person in this situation would do. He jumped in the car—and not a moment too soon, either, because that's when creepy Cloud turned the corner on his not-so-creepy bike, swerving to a stop when he saw the car.

Sora glanced back and forth between the two men, sensing an odd vibe, but not quite sure of what it was, as the two sat locked in a staring contest (though it was hard to tell because psycho-creepy-stalker had those shades back on, but Squall—oh, wait, that's _Leon_—seemed to think so, and that's what counted in Sora's mind at least).

Finally, after what seemed like seconds (and actually were), the blonde man shook his head sped off in the direction he came from. Squall—_Leon_ glanced over at Sora, where the boy had crawled into the front seat. He felt himself begin to shrink up from the piercing, scrutinizing look the older man levelled at him. It was a good two minute of studying him before Leon huffed and looked away, allowing Sora to let out the breath he'd knew he'd been holding in.

"Well," came the first proper sentence Squall Leonhart ever spoke to him (because bossing him around and insulting him did not count as proper talking in Sora's book), "You're alive."

…The sad thing is, Sora wasn't quite sure whether that was meant as good or bad…

**TBC…**

Review! :D

First five to review get a prize! No, seriously, you'll get a prize. I've got one all picked out and everything.

And if anyone wants to beta this story for me, I seriously need one.


	2. Chapter 2

Adrian: Hola, all! To my first five reviewers: I'm having technical difficulties with that promised prize, although I assure you that you WILL receive it, as soon as I figure out what the crap is wrong (it's very frustrating because it affects far more than this). But here's chapter two: I hope you all enjoy!

Oh, and just for the record, this story will contain Sephiroth, Organization XIII, heartless, Final Fantasy VII characters, Final Fantasy VIII characters, and an epic journey. But not today.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Kingdom Hearts. The copy I have is of Kingdom Hearts 2 and I borrowed it from a friend (if you're reading this, I promise you'll get it back! …But you're probably not reading this, so whatever).

As the World Keeps Turning

_Chapter 2_

Sora sat idly in his bedroom, attempting to eavesdrop on his "parents" and "cousin's" conversation. He was currently being foiled in his scheme by the raised voices echoing throughout the house. The brunette didn't even have to _work_ to hear them; he had to work _not_ to hear them, they were so loud. Mainly Zack, but it wasn't like Sora had to strain to hear Squall/Leon either.

"I mean, are you stupid or something? You can't just be letting him hang out with—" Leon seemed to be having some issues with Sora's friends.

"I'll tell you right now, there is nothing _wrong_ with—" Which, as far as the boy could tell from the beginning of his "father's" response, had led to Zack trying to defend his parenting skills. The spiky-haired Keyblade Master mused on this for a minute. Zack was probably the best father any of his friends had (of course, some of his friends didn't even _have_ fathers), despite the fact that he'd only been in Sora's life for four years. In hindsight, finding out that they weren't actually related was a better explanation for the man's nonexistence until Sora was twelve than Aerith's…what was it? Oh, right. That accident he'd been in when he was ten had made him forget his father who had left in order to come to terms with a son who could no longer remember him.

The boy scoffed. Yeah, he was an idiot for believing that alright, even if the accident _had_ given him amnesia.

"Nothing wrong?" Squal-Leon retorted, causing the teen to tune back into the not-quite-screaming match his former and new guardian were having. "That kid is practically darkness personified! _Darkness_ is not _healthy_."

"And what do you call Cloud, huh? Don't think Yuffie never told me about you two's little 'thing'."

There was a slight pause—one where Sora suspected his so-called mother might have said something—before Squa-Leon replied with a scoff.

"…Whatever. That's a completely different situation. You _know_ that. Cloud has nothing to do with this conversation, anyway."

"Um, hello? He's _trying to kill Sora!_"

"…Your point?"

Sora frowned. So _Leon_ knew creepy blonde guy with cool bike? This needed further contemplation.

Zack let out a forlorn sigh. "Look, Squall—"

"Leon."

"Squall, Leon, _whatever_. Sora may not be the fruit of my loins, but he's a good kid. With _good_ _friends_. And I know you could honestly care less either way about him, but I don't want you and Cloud's crazy issues to end up getting him killed."

Another pause. "Zackary Fair, are you doubting my professionalism?" The words were spoken with such deadly quiet that Sora had no doubt his "father" was quaking in his boots, but to Sora this was like television—only much cooler.

"N-no! Of course not, Squall, I'd never do something like that! I'm only saying—"

"That you should've been gone, like, an hour ago. Cid's only going to wait so long."

"Right. My bad. Sora!"

Sora jumped before all but rushing out of his room and down the hall to the kitchen. Squall stood leaning against the kitchen counter, a scowl on his scarred face directed at Zack who was fumbling with his and Aerith's luggage by the side door.

Standing up straight, the black-haired man beamed at his foster son. "Well, your mother and I are leaving; Squall will take good care of you. Oh, and if anyone asks, we're on an extended honeymoon and your cousin's babysitting for us because he has a lucrative home-run business!"

"_Goodbye_, Zack," Squall snapped irritably. The man 'eep'ed, before quickly taking his exit. Aerith stood up from the kitchen table, eyes red and sniffles erupting every few seconds as she enveloped the teen in one of her world-famous hugs (they had the same feel as the taste of her world-famous double-chocolate chip cookies—love and happiness and joy all bubbling up together in a chocolate volcano of _goodness_).

"Oh, Sora! I'll miss you! Don't give Squall any trouble, you hear me?"

"No, mom, I won't," came the automatic response. Sure, part of Sora was going to miss his parents (a very small, minute, positively _miniscule_ part), but he was pretty much brimming with excitement. Cousin Squall just _oozed_ bad-assery from his every pore. And Sora had seen that kick-ass sword he'd taken out of the car.

Aerith pulled back and gazed down with those big, honey eyes glinting with tears in a way that made Sora inwardly huff. After a second, she let go completely, turning away and out the side door without so much as a goodbye. The sound of a car revving and reversing echoed, and then silence. Sora was free!

…For all of two seconds. As the boy moved to run out the front door, he found a hand at his collar, preventing him from going anywhere.

"Sora."

Sora turned slightly, cringing at the sight of the almost-pleasant look on his new guardian's face.

"Umm…yes?"

"Sit down."

Sora sat, his back facing the side door. Squall moved and sat across the table in front of him.

"Sooo…" the spiky-haired teen began.

"Ground rules. Basically, you will go to school. You will come straight home. You will do your homework. You will practice your basic defense. You will go to bed. Food will happen at some time in between those things. If you happen to see Cloud, you will run and find me. Oh, and you will no longer associate with Riku. At all. If you do, I will know. How much magic do you know?"

Sora blinked. "Ummm…well, I know my basics. Fire, Thunder, Blizzard, Reflect, those type. In my Advanced Magicks we've been learning the next level up. I'm pretty good with my Blizzara! My Thundara's not bad, either." An accomplished smile was on his face as he stared down the completely disgusted look his "cousin" was directing at him.

"You call _that_ advanced magic? How old are you again?"

"Umm…sixteen?" he ventured.

"Your school is shit. Complete and utter bull. You don't even have your basics down properly. How the hell am I supposed to teach you the finer points of magic if you can't even cast a simple Firaga? Or even Fira! I'd mastered Blue Magic by the time I was sixteen. Had Black Magic when I was seventeen."

"Well, you've got to give the kid _some_ credit, Squall. You are, as much as you hate to admit it, a mage. Magic comes naturally to you." A new voice chimed in.

Sora paused. That voice sounded familiar. Turning around, the boy let out a high pitch scream before diving down under the table.

Cloud, standing in the open doorway, leveled a blank stare at where Sora was still visible.

"That was completely uncalled for," Squall muttered.

"But so much fun. This where we're staying?"

"For a while."

Sora peeked out from his hiding place. "Wait—am I missing something or what? That guy wants to kill me! And you're just letting him _stay_ here? In my _house_? Aren't you supposed to be protecting me?"

Leon's bored stare turned to fix on Sora once more, but before he could respond Cloud cut him off.

"Please. I don't want to kill you. I don't care enough about you to want you dead or alive. Hades and Organization XIII—as well as a few other people—want you dead. I just do the dirty work."

"But-!"

"But nothing, Sora," his so-called guardian cut in. "Cloud has to stay here. He won't try to kill you at home; that'd be impolite. Trust me. We do this a lot."

"What do you _mean_ he has to stay here? You people aren't making any sense to me! You tell me if I see him to run, and then just go and invite him to live with us, telling me it's okay? Make up your damned mind!" He suddenly gasped in realization. "This is what dad mea—!" Finding himself suddenly cut off, the very perturbed Keyblade Master worked his jaw a few times before realizing that no matter what he did, a voice wasn't coming out.

"Don't bother; I cast Silence," Squall snapped. "Now sit up and listen. Cloud will be staying here; Cloud won't kill you. Well, not while you're here, anyway."

"Don't worry, kid," Cloud's not-reassuring-at-all voice added, "I've got nothing against you. Of course, I'll be pretty satisfied once you're dead, but that really has nothing to do with you." The two men exchanged a look that Sora couldn't quite describe, but left him with all sorts of butterflies in his stomach. He really needed to talk to Riku, like, yesterday—but Squall had forbidden that, right after "if you see Cloud, run".

_My life is over,_ the silenced teen mouthed to himself.

Cloud, reading his lips, added, "Not quite yet, but I guarantee it will be."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"…I still don't see what the big deal is," Riku muttered. "So Leon basically invited himself and Cloud to live in your house, despite the fact that Cloud's goal in life is to kill you. I hold by my point that worse things have happened to better people."

Sora glared at his friend. "Better than the _Keyblade_ _Master_? And besides, he forbade me from seeing you. Remember that part?"

Riku paused. "Okay, yeah, but that's the rare exception. You have failed to convince me for, let's see, the one-hundred and seventh time."

"Well, I'm not done yet, so shut up and let me rant."

**(8 Months, 4 Days Ago)**

Sora sighed as he watched his Quake fail again. It was two o' clock in the morning, and Leon had made it pretty plain that "If the Keyblade Master can't _master_ a basic magic spell, clearly you've been spending too much time resting and not enough time practicing." And then the man had forbid him from going to bed for the night until he could successfully summon an earthquake.

Eight hours. Sora had unsuccessfully been trying to cast Quake for eight hours straight. For the first two hours at least Cloud and Leon had sat there, with the blonde psycho laughing at him, at least in Sora's mind, and his guardian growing more and more frustrated with each spell. At some point, the spiky-haired killer had wandered off, and eventually Leon had grown so frustrated that he'd just snapped for Sora to come find him when he'd gotten something close before storming off (once again, at least in Sora's mind. Squall Leonhart did not, after all, storm off).

Now, though, the poor boy was done. He was going inside to use the bathroom and then collapse on his bed whether Leon had a problem or not. With a determined look planted firmly on his face, Sora lifted his foot…and shuffled it forward an inch, too tired to do much more. Rubbing his eyes, he huffed. Getting inside was going to take forever at this rate.

Ten minutes later, and the Keyblade Master breathed a sigh of relief as he leaned his head against the door to the bathroom, closing his eyes in rest. He was going to pee and then go straight to bed. Pee and then bed, simple as that. Blindly reaching out, he opened the door and his eyes.

And then he blinked.

And he blinked again.

Then Sora rubbed his eyes once more because this, what he was seeing—it absolutely could not be happening. And then his brain caught up with him and he did the only sensible thing he could: he shrieked loud enough to wake all five neighbourhoods in the vicinity, and definitely to catch the attention of the two men in front of him.

"Close the fucking door!" Cloud bellowed as the mentally scarred teenager attempted to gouge out his eyes with his fingernails. When his request wasn't followed, the blonde reached out and slammed the bathroom door shut himself. Sora began hyperventilating as he turned and ran to the other washroom in the house. Reaching the sink, he splashed water on his face before turning terrified eyes on the mirror in an effort to keep his mind from shutting down on itself.

Because there was absolutely no way that Sora had just seen…_that_. Because Leon—and Cloud—and Leon wouldn't do _that_, especially not with Cloud, so Sora had definitely not seen—and there had definitely been pants involved. They just happened to be on the floor somewhere, and not—not going there, Sora reminded himself. He was absolutely not going to think about how Squall had been—and Cloud had been between his—and they had been—and this was the point where Sora's mind blanked. He groaned, splashing more water onto his face.

There was absolutely no way he was getting any sleep tonight.

**TBC**…

Adrian: Well, here's chapter two. I quite enjoy it. The story will get to the main plot eventually (yes, it does in fact have a plot). To my reviewers: thanks. You'll get that special prize as soon as I figure out my technical difficulties.

To people reading this chapter: first five reviewers (once again) will also get a special prize. And a different one from last time.

REVIEW!

^.^


	3. Chapter 3

Adrian: So, I must say I'm enjoying writing this story. Also, it now has plot! Yes, this chapter starts off the story's actual plot. I might have to revisit the first two chapters to fix my pacing, though...Either way, I hope you enjoy!

Actually, scratch that, the first two chapters will be rewritten at some point in the future. So, yeah.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I do, however, own a lovely copy of the Iliad, which has absolutely no bearing on anything at all.

As the World Keeps Turning

_Chapter 3_

Sora lay in his bed, staring blankly at the Ivory White that expanded across the ceiling. Some time ago, after another crazy weird dream had woken him up again (damn those two, doing things like _that_ where anyone could find them!), the boy had resigned himself to his fate and taken to counting every little bump or crack that lined his walls or ceilings. So far, he was at five hundred and thirty six.

The brown-haired boy sighed, taking a break from his counting to glance at the clock.

_6:48_

It read, all bright red numbers blinking at him, taunting him with the fact that he hadn't been able to sleep. At least it was morning, though. Almost seven was still a little early for the poor boy to wake on a holiday (even with Leon breathing down his neck like some sort of weird military officer, his guardian had never forced him to wake up before eight), but it was still a pretty acceptable time.

Sora pulled himself up and got out of bed, not bothering to pull on any of the clothes haphazardly strewn throughout his bedroom. He nearly tripped on one of the stacks of school books sporadically littering his floor, but he managed to catch himself before a very ungraceful face plant landed him with a broken nose. Pulling idly at the waistband of his boxers, the Keyblade Master yawned as he exited the room. He meandered down the hall, laziness and a lack of sleep weighing down his every step, intent on raiding the kitchen.

The boy really hadn't meant to eavesdrop at all. Not this time, at least. But what could he say? Leon made it very easy for him to overhear conversations despite how soft spoken his guardian could be. After all, his two "roommates", for lack of a better term, were laying on the floor together, sharing a blanket, right in the middle of the living room (and Sora pointedly imagined them wearing _pants_ under that blanket, thank you very much, despite evidence to the contrary). The living room didn't have a door, just a huge archway. If the conversation was really meant to be private, Cloud and Leon would've used one of the bedrooms (or a bathroom, his mind supplied unbidden). Never mind the fact that Sora was supposed to be sleeping right now.

"We at least need to explain the situation, Cloud," Leon's soft mutter caught Sora's attention, making him a (mostly) unwilling eavesdropper.

"No," the blonde psycho replied. His voice was hard, lined with steel, and completely different than the young Keyblade Master had ever heard before. For a second the boxer-clad boy wondered if he had heard wrong; it seemed like the two men had switched places or bodies or roles or something. Cloud continued, "It's none of his business."

Sora frowned at that, but leaned closer when Leon snorted, shoving himself as close to the wall as possible to hear what his fake cousin had to say. "None of his business? Cloud, he's caught up in this just as much as we are, if not more. Not to mention that you need to kill him, and I need him very much alive."

"You need him alive? I don't think you realize just how much you need him dead, too," the spiky-haired man shot back.

"Cloud," Leon replied, a warning tone to his voice that Sora was very much familiar with, although he'd never before heard it voiced. Sora could picture the look perfectly, considering that his guardian's face was obscured by that blonde mess of hair. Leon's eyes narrowed with a look of pure ice, head tilted forward slightly, the temperature in the room seemingly starting to fall—in fact, Sora could actually feel the temperature fall, even though the look wasn't directed at him.

"Have you forgotten about Sephiroth?" Cloud continued. Something in the air changed at that. At first the teenager didn't quite recognize what it was, but after a second it dawned on him.

Fear.

Sora had felt fear before. That all-consuming, suffocating emotion that clawed at his heart leaving him panting and sweating, his heart pounding its way through his ears and out of his chest after a nightmare he couldn't remember. He had woken up screaming in the night before, unable to calm down or explain the sharp pain in his chest as tears poured down his face, choking out half-broke sobs into Aerith's comforting hold.

This, though. This was different. What Sora sensed from Leon was unlike anything he'd ever felt. It was a quiet fear; no tears, no screaming, no overwhelming need to run away. It was, as with everything Squall Leonhart, cold, as if Shiva herself were leaking out through his pores. The man was a statue of ice, frozen, completely unable to move. His breath was even, but the slight hitch every now and again alerted Sora to the fact that it was forced.

This was the most disconcerting thing Sora had ever seen, especially because it was a response to a _name_. _Sephiroth_.

"Cloud," Sora finally heard his guardian force out as the boy ducked fully behind the wall, all that fear transforming itself into much more familiar anger. "Do not test me."

"Or what?" came the scathing reply from the blonde swordsman. "You'll block me out? Push me away again? Isn't that what started this mess in the first place?"

"Do _not_ blame me for your own stupidity," Leon bit out, and Sora was positive that if he peeked around the wall and could see through Cloud's head, he would see Leon's eyes flashing dangerously. "I was a teenager. How else did you expect me to react after what you let that bastard do to me?"

"What I _let_—?" The bitter laugh Cloud cut himself off with alerted Sora to the fact that this was not only something he should not be overhearing (which he had more or less known from the beginning, but curiosity was a bitch and all), but that the conversation had taken a turn onto a path that the teen was not entirely comfortable with. "What I let him do. You know, you amuse me sometimes, _Squall_. I gave up all that was good in myself to save you!"

Leon snorted, and Sora began to creep down the hallway back to his room.

"Whatever," the dark haired man returned coolly. "Not like you had all that much to give up in the first place."

"I'm not the one that needed—!" Cloud's slightly raised voice was cut off as Sora shut his room door. Leaning back against it, the teenager sighed, his mind unable to wrap itself around what he had just heard. He glanced at his unmade bed and decided that it wouldn't hurt to try and sleep a little bit longer, despite the lack of success he had had last night. It was better than trying to comprehend the intricacies of Cloud and Leon's apparently very complicated relationship.

"Sora!" Leon's call and sharp banging on the door abruptly woke the boy some time later. He glanced at the clock.

_11:02._

Now, this was a much more reasonable time to be awake. Plastering his ever-present grin on his usually bright face, the Keyblade Master went bounding out of his room door and past his fake cousin.

"Good Morning, Leon!" he exclaimed. Squall raised an eyebrow as he took in Sora's unusually chipper mood. He had known the teen to be peppy and upbeat, but this…this was on a whole other level. Was he _bouncing_? Leon just shook his head as he took in the expectant look he was being given by huge blue eyes and gave a friendly sounding grunt in return.

Sora's grin grew bigger, if that were possible, as he was appeased, and he continued bouncing his way through the house. As far as he was concerned, it was best to ignore everything he had heard earlier. It was one thing to realize that Cloud and Squall occasionally…did the deed, to say the least. Sora did not want to contemplate anything more than that. If he did, his mind might just—the sudden smell of freshly fried bananas, eggs, and toast suddenly caught his attention as it wafted through his nostrils.

"Breakfast!" the boy yelled, taking off down the hallway and bursting into the kitchen. Cloud stood at the stove, lime green apron tied over the blonde's token black clothes. Sora froze.

"Morning, Sora," the sword-wielding psycho greeted, not turning from his cooking.

"Uh…m-morning, Cloud," the short teen responded nervously. What he had overheard suddenly drifted back into his mind, and that fear of being poisoned he thought he had gotten over seemed to well back up within him. He shoved it down, though. Cloud wouldn't poison his food, after all. He preferred to kill people in a more hands-on fashion with that big-ass giant sword he carried around for more than just show. Sora just held on to what Leon had told him: Cloud had been taught to cook by Aerith herself. No one who had been taught by his fake mother would dare sully food in such a way. It also meant that Cloud had learned to cook from the very, very best and his food was to die for, something that Sora just could not resist.

It was still sad that Cloud's cooking didn't hold a candle to Leon's.

"Sora, sit down," he heard Leon say as the man entered the kitchen behind him. Blinking, the young Keyblade Master did as he was told as his guardian took a seat across from him. "In light of your," he coughed, "_interruption_ last night, Cloud and I have decided to clear a few things up for you that you might be wondering about." The barely stifled snort from the man at the stove revealed that Cloud did not necessarily share the sentiment. Leon glared at his companion before turning back to his ward.

Sora blinked as he processed something he had never picked up on before. There was a tension there, a barely palpable tension that seemed to strain at the two of them, to pull their usually drawn faces even tighter than normal. He blinked.

"So, you two are…together?" he ventured. Leon nodded. "Um…a long time?" he tried.

"Three years," Leon replied evenly.

"_Four_," Cloud muttered under his breath, and the scowl that the scarred man had been avidly trying to keep off of his face for this conversation finally painted itself on. Silence reigned throughout the air for a second before Leon finally huffed.

"It's complicated," he acquiesced. "We've known each other for four years."

"Um…okay…"

"That's not what we're here to talk about, though," Leon continued, cutting grey eyes to the side to half glance at Cloud. "Sora, understand that Cloud doesn't actually want to kill you."

"Yes, I do," the blonde interjected. He moved away from the stove and placed the steaming hot plates of food on the table before taking a seat. "I want to kill you very much. Quickly and painlessly, and preferably as soon as possible. Taking your head off should do."

"You're not helping," Squall snapped.

"I'm not trying to," Cloud snapped back.

Sora hesitantly reached a hand out and began to pile hopefully not poisoned food onto his plate. They had never been so openly hostile in front of him before, and it was really beginning to unnerve him.

"Look, Sora," Leon continued, turning back to his young ward. "Cloud and I…we're…_how do I say this_…we're not _normal_."

Sora nearly choked on the greasy piece of fried banana he had been in the process of shoving down his throat as he stifled a laugh. "That's what you wanted to tell me?" This time, he was met with two cold stares instead of one. It was creepy how similar those two could be.

"I think he understands _perfectly_ now," the blonde muttered. Cloud crossed his arms petulantly and leaned back in his seat.

"Do you want to explain it?" Leon shot back. Cloud just leaned back farther. The brunette man turned back to Sora. "How about this: do you know about the balance of hearts?"

"Um…yeah, we learned about that in my magicks class. Every heart holds both light and darkness in it. It helps to keep the balance that naturally exists between the two in the worlds. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Squall's my light," Cloud cut in, and both brunettes turned in surprise—although it was much more clearly written across the younger's face.

"Wait—what?" Sora asked.

"Exactly what he said," Leon continued. "Our balance works a little differently. I'm the light to his darkness, and vice versa."

"That doesn't even make any sense, though! Every heart has both light and darkness in it: that's the balance. _Every_ heart." Sora was vehement, and Cloud and Leon exchanged blank looks at that.

"First of all," Cloud took over, "not every heart is born with both light and darkness. That little redhead girl you hang out with, for instance, the one with the atrocious amounts of pink. She's like Squall here—pure light. Secondly, just because people are born in balance doesn't mean they stay that way. And we _are_ in balance." His glowing blue stare levelled evenly with the boy he so desperately wanted to kill.

"Yeah, but the only way you could be in balance like that is if you, like, shared a heart or something!" Sora continued to protest. This was just…different. Unreal. They had spent a whole week on the balance of hearts in school. Riku had had to explain things to him about five times before he had fully grasped the concept.

"We do," Leon bit out unexpectedly. "Sort of. Like I said, it's complicated. Our hearts, souls, whatever you want to call them, are connected. It's a magic thing—one they don't teach in schools like yours. You'll have something similar, to two people, though. With Keyblade Masters, it comes in threes."

Cloud looked even less happy than his (light?), if that were even possible.

"So, do you get it?" Sora's rather grumpy scarred guardian finished.

"Sort of," the boy replied.

The spiky-haired blonde psycho shrugged. "Good enough for me." Leon cut his eyes back to Cloud, his lip twitching slightly in annoyance, before once more turning back to his ward.

"Do you have anything you want to ask us?"

Sora bit his lip. The most prevalent question he had was niggling at the back of his mind, waiting to burst out from between his lips, but a large part of him protested. What he had overheard this morning had not been meant for him in any way. To ask about it…but still. It clearly affected him, if their whole argument had spawned from telling him about this. The young Keyblade Master could see that his fake-cousin hadn't told everything he wanted to tell out of respect for whatever wishes Cloud might have. But the crazy giant-sword wielding freak wanted to kill him, after all. So it might not hurt…

"Who's Sephiroth?" he blurted out before he could stop himself. The whole room went still. Even the fly that had been buzzing around the kitchen window dropped instantly from the suddenly plunge in temperature the room underwent. Cloud's unrelenting gaze was pinned on Sora, and had his eyes always had that much green in them?

"What did you just say?" Cloud hissed out. The teen swallowed nervously and turned to try and meet Leon's gaze, but the man was just still, staring more through him than at him.

"Um…wh-who's Sephiroth?" he repeated. A slight tremor had started up in his body.

"_Where did you hear that name?_"

"I—I…um—I just…it's—" Sora yelped as he suddenly found a sharp blade edge at his throat. He hadn't even seen the blonde move to grab the sword, much less to threaten him with it all of a sudden.

"I said, _where_ did you _hear that name_?" The blonde man ground out once more. The look on his face was dark, and for the first time, the spiky-haired brunette boy completely feared for his life. His mouth was dry, but he found he couldn't look away from the deadly stare in those glowing blue-green eyes, and he just sat there in a speechless stupor, unsure of how to proceed.

When no answer was forthcoming, Cloud growled, his arm twitching as it moved to finish his job. And then, suddenly, a there was a loud '_Boom!_' as an explosion sent the killer flying back into the wall. Sora squeezed his eyes shut to block out the bright light that had erupted, and peaked one open when he sensed it had gone. Leon stood up at the table, his arm outstretched with the faintest tinges of magic trickling from his fingers, the remnants of the spell he had just cast. Cloud lay unmoving next to the wall that now housed a huge dent, and for a split second the Keyblade Master wondered if the freak of nature was dead—but then he noticed the completely green eyes seething with rage directed at his guardian.

"Sora, run," Leon commanded, not taking his eyes off of the still blonde.

"What did you _do_?"

"I Stopped him, but I don't know how long it'll last, so _run_, you idiot!" Sora didn't need to be told a third time, as the black-clad body on the floor began to twitch. With barely a second thought, he was out the door, large sneakers slapping against the concrete sidewalk as he ran with exactly one destination in mind:

Riku's house.

**TBC…**

Okay, I knew this chapter was getting serious, but that was, woah. Way serious. Um, yeah. I hope you enjoyed it! :D

Please review? I really appreciate them!


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